Container labeling apparatus



1941- K.) MANRODT CONTAINER LABELING APPARATUS 2 Sheets+Sheet l Filed Oct, 21, 1959 IINVENTOR Nov. 11, 1941.

K. MANRODT CONTAINER LABELING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001:. 21, 1939 3- iii.\mmuumaw INVENTOR M M t g y %RNE brushing means.

Patented Nov. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER Arr-snares Kurt Manrodt, Newark, N. J., assignor to HofimanBeverage Company, Newark, J., a corporation of New Jersey w Appl cation October 21, 193,9, Brandi 191300575 11 Claims. (01. 216-.-.54)

This invention relates to labeling machines and has particular reference to improvements in the mechanism for operating the label grip finger for temporarily holding the label in the proper position on a container, preparatory to securing it in place thereon.

In one type of conventional container labeling machine, to which this invention particularly relates, an adhesive picker abstracts one or more labels from a stack of labels, swings into the path of movement of a container supported ,on a rotary table, lays the gummed label at the proper place on the surface of the containenand then a grip finger carried by the table moves into contact with the label to hold it in place as the picker is withdrawn, so that the label is properly positioned preparatory to being applied tonthe surface of the container by label wiping or The grip finger is secured on a shaft journalled on the underside of the rotating table and is oscillated by a, crank following the groove of a stationary horizontal cam and connected to the shaft by gearing. Usually there are several such camsfor .multipletype labeling machines, in which two series of containers are handled at the same time on a single rotary table. Due to the construction of these cams, and the arrangement of the shaft .andothergrip finger operating mechanisrn,lthe cam' followers not infrequently lock in the cams and jam, resulting in breakage of the mechanism. Also, .by reason of the long leverages and construction of the grip finger operating mechanism, only a slight resistance to movement of the grip finger may result in breakage of the gearing. Also, the

construction of the mechanism makes it verydifficult to remove a broken or faulty gripfinger or itsoperating mechanism in case of breakage, thus resulting in inordinately long periods of dis.- ablement'ofthe machine. i I

In accordance with the present invention, the label grip finger operating mechanism is mounted on a bracket adjacent to the'position of the finger beneath the edge of the rotary table. The grip finger is mounted on a horizontal shaft actuated by two followers resiliently held in engagement with the peripheries of corresponding fiat disc cams, so as to follow the contours there of. One of the cam followers is positively connected to a stub shaft coupled by gears to the horizontal grip ,fihgershaft and the other is journalled on the stub shaft and connected to the first follower by a spring to eliminate backlash and p ovide some y eld n to qm ensa efb r u r ies in t su cessive container only does this arrangement permit ready assembly and repair of parts, butthe cams are not self-locking under any conditions and free and smooth movement without vibration of the grip fingerresults. The cams, by reason of their construction and mounting on a fixed cam drum, may be readily adjusted angularly, and thus the oper tin p siti s o the p finger may be varied at will, depending on requirements. With this arrangement, all of the objections to the unreliable, cumbersome, inaccessible grooved cam arrangements of the previous machine are eliminated, including the lack of facility of repair in case of damage.

For amore complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in Whichi Figural is a plan view shown partly in section of a labeling machine fitted with the improved label grip finger operating mechanism of, this invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial vertical section therethrough as seen along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section as seen along the line ,3-.-.3 of Fig. 2, showing the grip finger cam followers;

Fig 4 is an enlarged axial section through the vertical grip. finger actuating shaft, as seen along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and showing the mounting ofthe cam-following rollers thereon; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section through the cam adjusting means as seen along the line 5-5 of Fig.1.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, numeral In. designates a portion of the circular rotary table which is arranged horizontally on the upper end of a vertical drive shaft II to which it is keyed at l2 by a connecting sleeve 13, in turn keyed at Hi to shaft II, as shown inFig. 2. Sleeve l3 rests on a thrust bearing l5, supported on the upper end of the tubular center column [6 of thebase ll of the machine. The shaft II is journalled in column l6 and is continuously driven from a suitable source of power, not shown. Base l1 and its center column l6 remain stationary while driven shaft ll rotates table II! and its supporting sleeve l3 on thrust bearing IS.

The upper surface of table 10 is provided at its periphery with a plurality of container-supports l9 upor which a container is placedby a suitable transfer mechanism, and on which it is held by a top gripping member l8, wh se operating mechanism is not shown, but is conventional in construction, so that the container is firmly Not 55. positioned on the. support l9 throughout the labeling operation. The edge of the table If] in front of each container support I9 is provided with a tangential notch 2| into which the grip finger 29 moves from a substantially horizontal position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, to a substantially vertical position to grip the previously gummed label against the surface of the container in the manner described. In the particular form of labeling machine illustrated, the container to be labeled is a beverage bottle B, having body and neck labels, so that the grip finger is provided with a body and neck label gripping pads 22 and 23, respectively. In such conventional machines the operations are of course synchronized, the bottle B being placed on the bottle support 9 and held there by the top grippin member I8, the label picker places neck and body labels in front of the bottle B. and then the grip finger 20 moves from the substantially horizontal position into a vertical position so that its pads 22 and 23 engage and hold the body and neck labels against the surface of the bottle in the manner described.

The grip finger 2D is secured by a screw 24 to a yielding bushing 25 connected by spring 21 to bushing 26, mounted on the outward end of a radially-extending horizontal shaft 30, the spring 21 affording self-adjustment of the finger to accommodate irregularities in the bottle. Shaft oscillates in a bracket 3| secured by screws 32 to the under side of the rotary table I 0. The screws 32 are readily accessible for the mounting and dismounting of the bracket 3|. Connected to the free or inner end of horizontal shaft 30 is a coil spring 33 encircling the shaft 30 and connected at its other end to the bracket 3|. The function of this spring will be explained later. Pinned on shaft 30 is a bevel gear 34 meshing with a bevel gear 35 journalled in bracket 3| on bushing 36 and pinned to vertical stub shaft 31, also journalled in bracket 3|, as shown particularly in Fig. 2.

Journalled on the lower end of vertical stub shaft 31 is a double armed lever 38, one arm 39 of which carries a cam-following roller 40 and the other arm of which, 4|, is recessed for the reception of one end of a coil spring 42, whose other end engages arm 43 of a similar lever 44 pinned to stub shaft 31, as shown particularly in Fig. 3. Fixed lever 44 also has a second arm 45 carrying at its end a cam-following roller 46, displaced vertically from roller 40. A plate 41 secured to the end of stub shaft 3'! by a screw 48 and pin 49 within a counter-bore in the end of lever 38 holds the latter in place on shaft 31, as shown particularly in Fig. 4. Being journalled on stub shaft 31, lever 36 is yielding by reason of spring 42 connected to lever 44 which is fixed to stub shaft 31.

Fixed to the center column 5 of the machine is a large-diameter cam drum 50 having circular peripheral surfaces concentric with the axis of the machine. Encircling the cam drum and secured thereto by screws 5| over look plates 5| is a cam ring 53. Screws 5| preferably pass through circumferentially-elongated slots 52 in cam ring 53 so that the latter may be adjusted axially on cam drum 5!], as shown in Fig. 5. Also, as shown in Fig. 1, cam ring 53 is split diametrically into two parts, although it may be divided into more than two parts, so that it may be readily mounted on and dismounted from the cam drum 50.

Preferably formed integrally with camrings 53 are two fiat disc cams 54 and 55. Cam 54 has an edge contour such as is shown in Fig. l, and is engaged by cam-following roller 40 of yielding lever 38 on stub shaft 31, while cam 55 has the contour shown in Fig. 1, and is engaged by cam-following roller 46 on lever 44 fixed on stub shaft 31. Similar cams 54' and 55' for the grip fingers of multiple labeling machines may be mounted in the same way on cam drum 5!], the other operating mechanism for the grip finger remaining the same as that shown.

In operation of the labeling machine grip finger operating mechanism of this invention, the containers, such as bottles B, are placed on the bottle-supports l9 spaced around the periphery of rotary table H), which is driven in a counter-clockwise direction, as shown in the arrow in Fig. 1, by driving mechanism connected to shaft As the table If] rotates, cam-following rollers 40 and 45 yieldingly engage the peripheries of corresponding disc cams 54 and 55, respectively, and since they are urged toward the center of the machine by spring 42, they are always in uniform constant engagement with their respective cams. The labels are delivered by the conventional picker, not shown, at the point indicated in the drawing by the legend Delivery Station, and at that point the cam 55 has a rise, as seen in Fig. 1, which urges camfollower 46 away from the center of the machine, turning stub shaft 3! in a counter-clockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 1.

This motion, communicated to shaft 36' by gears 34 and 35, causes the grip finger 20 to move from its normal substantially horizontal position, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, to a substantially vertical position so as to engage the bottle, so as to grip the neck and body labels with its respective pads 23 and 22 against the corresponding surfaces of the bottle. During this operation, cam-following roller 40 of yielding lever 38, in following the contour of cam 54, moves in substantially the opposite direction, that is, inwardly toward the center of the machine by reason of the drop in the contour of cam 54 adjacent the delivery station and substantially opposite the rise in cam 55, as shown in Fig. 1.

The movements of the two cam-following rollers 40 and 46 are accordingly substantially through the same angle, although in opposite directions, about the axis of vertical stub shaft 31.

As the table l0 continues to rotate, grip finger 20 holds the labels in position on the bottle B, until the label wiping devices have applied the labels permanently to the surface of the bottle. Thereupon, the earns 54 and 55 release grip finger 20 from the surface of the bottle. During this movement the fixed lever roller 46 engages a dip in cam 55 while the yielding lever cam-following roller 40 engages a rise in cam 54, thus turning the stub shaft 3! in a clockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 1, and consequently shaft 30 is turned so as to lower grip finger 2|] below the surface of the table H], the arc of movement of horizontal shaft 30 being approximately In order to adjust the earns 54 and 55, holding screws 5| are loosened and the cam ring 53 shifted, as is permitted by slots 52. This adjustment does not disturb the relationship between cams 54 and 55 since they are both secured on cam ring 53, but it changes the relationship between cams 54 and 55 and corresponding cam-followers 40 and 46. The cams 54 I 2,262,461 "and 55, by reasonof their size and'contour and position and the arrangement of their can following rollers, eliminate the danger of looking or jamming of the cam-following rollers thereon, so that smooth, positive operation of the label grip finger 20 results. In case of any backlash tendency between 'gears 34 and 35'during high speed operation of themachine, spring 33 serves as a-retardingmeans so" that the grip finger 20 cannot suddenly swing forward in its and the following rollers and 46 need only be lifted from their corresponding cams 54 and 55. Replacementis equally simple, as will be readily understood. 'For duplex machines earns 54' and 55 are provided on cam drum for operating the grip fingerof the second delivery station. I f While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated .and described herein,

it is to be understoodthat the invention is not limited thereto, but is susceptible of changes in form and detail within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a rotary container labeling machine having a moving horizontal container support, the

combination of a movable finger on said support for holding a label on the container, a stationary cam mounted parallel to the plane of said support and. having a peripheral cam contour, a lever pivoted about a vertical axis on thesupport, a cam-follower on the lever engaging the periphery of said cam and actuated thereby as the support moves relatively to the cam, means for adjusting said cam in said plane relatively to said lever to change the time of actuation of said lever, and operative connections between the lever and saidfinger for moving the latter into and out of engagement with the container.

2. In a rotary container labeling machine having a moving horizontal container support, the

combination of a finger for holding a label on the container, stationary cam means, a shaft mounted for oscillation on said support, a pair of spaced cam-followers on opposite sides of said shaft, means resiliently connecting said levers for simultaneously engaging them with said cam means, operative connections between at least one of said levers and said shaft for oscillating said shaft during rotation of said machine, and

operative connections between said shaft and said finger for moving the latter into and out of engagement with saidicontainer.

3. In a rotary container labeling machine having a moving horizontal container support, the

combination of afinger for holding a label on I the container, stationary cam, means, a shaft mounted for oscillation on said support, a pair of spaced cam-followers, means resiliently connecting said levers for simultaneously engaging them with said cam means, operative connections between one of saidlevers and said shaft for oscillating. said shaft during rotation of said machine, and operative connections between said shaft and said finger for moving the latter into and out of engagement with said container.

4. In a rotary container labeling machine having a moving horizontal container support, the

"combination of a finger for holding a label on the container, stationary cam means,'a shaft mounted-for oscillation on said support, a pair of spacedcam-followers on opposite sides of said shaft simultaneously engagingsaid cam means,

operative connections between one of said levers and said shaft for oscillating said shaft during rotation of Saidmachine, means resiliently urg- 5. Ina rotary container labeling machine having-'a"rnoving horizontal container support, the combination of a finger for holding a label on thehontainer, stationary cam means, a shaft mountedfor oscillation on said support, a pair of spaced cam-followers on opposite sides of said shaft simultaneously engaging saidcam means,

operative connections between at least one of said levers and said shaft for oscillating said shaft during rotation of said machine, means for adjusting said cam means angularly of the machine, to, change thetime of actuation of the shaftbysaid cam-followers, and operative connections between said shaft and said finger for moving the latter into and out of engagement with said container. n

6. In a rotary container labeling machine having a moving horizontal container support, the combination of a finger for holding a label on the container, a pair of stationary cams having peripheral cam contours in planes parallel to the plane of said support, a cam-follower engaging the contour of each cam, means resiliently urging said followers into engagement with the corresponding cam contours, a shaft mounted for oscillation on said support, means operatively connecting one of said levers to said shaft for oscillating the same as the machine rotates, and operative connections between said shaft and the finger for moving the latter into and out of engagement with the container.

'7. In a rotary container labeling machine having a moving horizontal container support, the combination of a finger for holding a label on the container, a pair of stationary cams having peripheral cam contours in planes parallel to the plane of said support, means for adjusting said cams angularly of the machine to change the time of actuation of the shaft by the corresponding followers, a cam follower engaging the contour of each cam, means resiliently connecting said levers, a shaft mounted for oscillation on said support, means operatively connecting one of said levers to said shaft for oscillating the same as the machine rotates, and operative connections between said shaft and the finger for moving the latter into and out of engagement with the container.

8. In a rotary container labeling machine having a moving horizontal container support, the combination of a finger [or holding a labelon the container, a pair of stationary cams having peripheral cam contours in planes parallel to the plane of said support, a shaft journalled on said support, a pair of levers on said shaft, each having a follower engaging the contour of a different one of said cams, means operatively connecting at least one of said levers to said shaft, and operative connections between said shaft and the finger wherebythe latter is moved into and out of engagement with the container as the machine rotates.

9. In a rotary container labeling machine having a moving horizontal container support, the combination of a finger for holding a label on the container, a pair of stationary cams having peripheral cam contours in planes parallel to the plane of said support, a shaft journalled for oscillation on the support, a lever fixed on said shaft and engaging one of said cams for operation thereby, a second lever journalled on said shaft and engaging the other cam for independent operation thereby, a spring interposed between said levers, and operative connections between said shaft and said finger, whereby rotation of said machine causes said levers to actuate said shaft in accordance with the contours of the corresponding cams to move said finger into and out of engagement with the container.

10. In a rotary container labeling machine having a moving horizontal container support, the combination of a finger for holding a label on the container, a pair of stationary cams having peripheral cam contours in plane parallel to the plane of said support, a shaft journalled for oscillation on the support, a lever fixed on said shaft and engaging one of said cams for operation thereby, a second lever journalled on said shaft and engaging the other cam for independent operation thereby, a spring connecting said levers for urging them into resilient engagement with the corresponding cams, and operative connections between said shaft and said finger, whereby rotation of said machine causes said levers to actuate said shaft in accordance with the contours of the corresponding cams to move said finger into and out of engagement with the container.

11. In a rotary container labeling machine having a moving horizontal container support, the combination of a finger for holding a label on the container, a pair of stationary cams having peripheral cam contours in planes parallel .to the plane of said support, a horizontal shaft journalled for oscillation on said support, means operatively connecting said shaft to the finger, a vertical second shaft journalled for oscillation in the support, means operatively connecting said second shaft to said first shaft, a lever fixed on said second shaft and engaging one of said cams at its free end, a second lever journalled on said second shaft and engaging the other of said cams at its free end, and a spring interposed between said levers for urging them simultaneously into engagement with the corre. sponding cams, whereby said shaft and finger are oscillated jointly by said cams during rotation of the machine to engage and disengage said finger with the container.

KURT MANRODT. 

